And Jeroboam said in his heart , As he was musing about the state of his kingdom and the affairs of it: now shall the kingdom return to the house of David ; such were his fears, unless some method could be taken to prevent it, particularly with respect to religion, which was what his thoughts were employed about. read more
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem ,.... In the temple there, three times in the year, which all the males were obliged to, besides other times, when they had occasion to offer sacrifice, which they might do nowhere else: then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their Lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah ; being drawn by the magnificence of the temple, the beauty and order of worship in it, the holiness of the place, and the grandeur... read more
And they shall kill me - He found he had little cause to trust this fickle people; though they had declared for him it was more from caprice, desire of change, and novelty, than from any regular and praiseworthy principle. read more
I. AN ERROR THAT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED ( 1 Kings 12:21-24 ). Rehoboam had zeal and strength behind him in his attempt to bring back the tribes by force. One hundred and eighty thousand men responded to his call; but all were dispersed at the lifting up of God's hand. The attempt was forbidden, 1 . Because of the ties of kindred . These were forgotten by Rehoboam when he threatened the people with a heavier yoke. Tyranny is possible only in the denial of the brotherhood... read more
Jeroboam's Despondency. "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." Jeroboam's ambition was to be a king, and God gave him his desire. This was to punish Solomon and his house for their apostasy, and the men of Israel who had been led away in it. The sequel proved that the ambition of Jeroboam also brought its punishment, for he soon found his throne the reverse of a comfortable seat. I. HIS FAITH IN HIS PEOPLE WAS SHAKEN . 1 . They seem to have become resistive under... read more
And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David [It needed much less prescience than Jeroboam seems to have possessed to perceive that fortresses and armies would be of no avail for the defence of his realm, so long as Jerusalem remained the one sanctuary of the land. He clearly foresaw that if the people went up thither, as in time past, three times a year, to keep the feasts, the religious sentiment would in time reassert itself and sweep him and his new... read more
The Sin of Jeroboam. This passage describes the act which is so often referred to with horror, in the books of Kings and Chronicles, as "the sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat." To an irreligious man like himself, nothing would appear more natural or politic than this conduct. He had been driven into Egypt by Solomon, had there married Pharaoh's daughter, and become familiar with the worship of Apis and Mnevis. Now he had returned, and found himself the ruler of the ten tribes, the first... read more
The Golden Calves. Jeroboam here earns for himself that name of evil repute—"the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin." As the leader in the revolt of the ten tribes he was simply fulfilling a Divine purpose. "The thing was from the Lord,"—the ordained penalty of Solomon's transgression ( 1 Kings 11:31 , 1 Kings 11:38 ). But this setting up of the golden calves, this only too successful attempt to sever the sacred bond that bound the people of the whole land in one common allegiance to... read more
If this people go up to do sacrifice [Heb. sacrifices ] in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem [as the law of Moses ordained ( Deuteronomy 12:11 , Deuteronomy 12:14 ; Deuteronomy 16:6 , Deuteronomy 16:11 )], then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord [The Syriac omits this word. The LXX . has πρὸς κύριον κὰι κύριον αὐτῶν ] , even unto Rehoboam king of Judah [When Wordsworth remarks that Jeroboam "here acknowledges Rehoboam as the 'lord' of... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 12:25-33
We have here the beginning of the reign of Jeroboam. He built Shechem first and then Penuel?beautified and fortified them, and probably had a palace in each of them for himself (1 Kgs. 12:25), the former in Ephraim, the latter in Gad, on the other side Jordan. This might be proper; but he formed another project for the establishing of his kingdom which was fatal to the interests of religion in it. I. That which he designed was by some effectual means to secure those to himself who had now... read more